Saginaw Community Foundation Spring 2011

Risk:AT

In response to Gov. Snyder’s proposal to eliminate the Michigan Community Foun-

dation Tax Credit – please don’t take away our cordless drill. Since 1984, the Saginaw Comm- unity Foundation has played a role in building community by working on multiple jobs in Saginaw County. One of those jobs is helping non- profit organizations build endow-ments. Like other builders, we utilize a number of different tools depend- ing on the job. To assist nonprofits with building endowment funds, we use the tools of matching funds, technical assistance and training, education, and marketing support. In 1989, the Michigan legislature developed the equivalent to the cord- less drill for community foundations through the Michigan Community Foundation Tax Credit. The results for Saginaw County have been rem- arkable. Today, more than 100 agen- cies have established endowments with SCF totaling nearly $20 million; and each year approximately 500 donors maximize the tax credit in Saginaw County. The true benefit is what the $1 million granted back

to those agencies provides in terms of service, which includes food, hou- sing, education, health care, human services, and recreation. The Council of Michigan Foun- dations reports that community foundation assets in Michigan have grown from $300 million in 1989 to more than $2.5 billion today. The State Treasury office that tracks the credit reported the value to the state in 2008 was approximately $3.5 mill- ion based on the 35,000 residents who claimed the credit on their state tax returns. With more than $130 mill- ion of local grantmaking annually provided by community foundations, it’s clear to see the significant return on the investment of the tax credit and the importance of this public-private partnership. Gov. Snyder – please don’t take away our cordless drill.

If you would like more information on the Community Foundation Tax Credit or to find out how you can contact your local representative to support the credit, contact Brian Jackson, the Foundation’s vice president, at (989) 755-0545.

B ecause of new legislation extending the Charitable IRA, qualified seniors can

make the gift of a lifetime by transferring a portion of their individual retirement accounts to charity, free from federal tax. Through 2011, qualified IRA holders can transfer up to $100,000 per year without in- curring income taxes today or estate and income taxes in the future. If married, each spouse can transfer up to $100,000 per year from his or her IRA. The Saginaw Community Foundation is pleased to help members of our community give in this new way. Seniors 70½ or older can make tax-free IRA contributions to certain public charities such as field of interest, unrestricted or des- ignated funds at SCF. Gifts to donor advised funds, support- ing organizations, and private foundations do not qualify for preferential tax treatment. Individuals who may benefit most from the new law include two-thirds of Americans who do not itemize income tax de- ductions. The tax law gives eligible donors the equivalent of a tax deduction for charitable gifts they transfer from their IRAs. The IRS estimates that almost 65 percent of all indi-vidual taxpayers claim the stan-dard income tax deduction and do not get any tax benefit from their charitable gifts. The Community Foundation welcomes discussion of this new opportunity with interested in-dividuals. Please contact Renee Johnston or Brian Jackson at (989) 755-0545 for more details.

Charitable IRA tax law extended

through 2011

The Michigan Community Foundation Tax Credit along with many other charitable credits are in danger of elimination if Michigan’s 2012 proposed budget passes. Read Brian Jackson’s perspective of what the tax credit means to SCF and its role in helping to “build” a better community.

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

We are four months into the new year and there’s plenty for me to report concern ing what the Sag inaw Community Foundation has been

working on, what we’ve accomplished, and our future plans. Of course, one major accomplishment was the official acquisition of the historic Morley Building as the Foundation’s new home. Please read the sidebar to the right for more information on our moving plans and ribbon cutting event that will help us share our excitement of our new home. Speaking of home, Saginaw County is home for thousands of young people, a majority of which reside in the City of Saginaw. The Saginaw

Community Foundation has always had a strong focus on youth, but as the inequalities amongst our young people across the county has become more recognizable, we have found it even more necessary to provide focus, dire- ction and support. Two years ago, I was invited on a trip to New York City to become familiar with the Harlem Children’s Zone and its creator, Geoffrey Canada. The message I gained from the trip was that we can provide equality for all youth in Saginaw County. Recently, the Foundation and United Way of Saginaw County partnered to bring Mr. Canada to Saginaw, and together, we coordinated a free event for all to hear his message. From the comments we have received, people thoroughly enjoyed and agreed with Mr. Canada’s message which was said loud and clear, “No one else is coming to save your community, your community is in your hands.” I know that comment resonated with every- one and it encouraged SCF and UWSC to continue moving forward in a leadership role to take the community into our hands. There are many next steps to follow and we will keep the community informed as we take one block at a time. Lastly, the local media is doing a fine job of educating us on the fact that our new governor is tackling the new state budget and many items are up for elimination. One item that may not have received much media attention is the Michigan Community Foundation Tax Credit, along with other char- itable tax credits, which could be eliminated. I have been asked by the Council of Michigan Foundations, as well as a few other foundation CEOs, to part-icipate on a committee to work with and encourage our state lawmakers to consider keeping the tax credits as they currently are or in some revised format. Whatever the case may be, we encourage all of our supporters to take advantage of the Community Foundation Tax Credit today. More to come . . .

Renee S. JohnstonPresident & CEO

Renee S. Johnston

The Saginaw Community Foundation will be moving into it’s new home July 1!

Effective July 1, please address all mail to our

new address:

Watch out for a save-the-date card in your mailbox or inbox that will announce details of our

upcoming ribbon cutting affair that will take place

at 5:30 p.m. Monday, September 19 at the

Morley Building. SCF’s annual Community Celebration will also take

place at that time to make it an even bigger celebration!

We hope you can join us as we open the doors to

our new home.

One Tuscola Suite 100

Saginaw, MI 48607

Moving!‘

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Geoffrey Canada urges community to ‘save our children’

The Bay, Midland and Saginaw Community Foun- dation’s corporate partnership with Dow Corning, Hemlock Semiconductor and The Dow Chemical

Company is impacting the needs of organizations and youth groups in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Last year, the Dow Corning Foundation announced the creation of three new donor advised funds that would provide grants to organizations in the region. Over the course of the year, collectively the funds granted more than $130,000 from the Dow Corning Foundation and Hemlock Semiconductor into the region through an advisory committee of employees from the two companies and the community foun- dations. Due to the success of the pilot program, Dow Corning has pledged to donate an additional $150,000

this year, with $50,000 held at each foundation. The Dow Chemical Company recently launched a grant initiative with the community foundations to help youth groups in the Great Lakes Bay Region. The communityGives initiative, a component of Dow’s DowGives program, provides an opportunity for elem- entary, middle, and high school students who partic-ipate in school groups, teams, and service clubs in the region to earn funding for projects through volun- teerism. “The engagement and organizational expertise of the Saginaw, Bay and Midland Community Foundations will provide the greatest impact towards the success of the communityGives program,” said Rob Vallentine, public affairs director for The Dow Chemical Company. “There are very few organizations that have the over-all pulse of a community like the foundations, which also adds great value in linking community service to addressing the greatest needs.” Dow is providing $150,000 per year to implement the grant, designating $50,000 each to the Bay, Mid-land and Saginaw Community Foundations to distrib-ute. Ten grants of $1000 and 80 grants of $500 will be awarded in each county. The next communityGives grant application deadline is Saturday, October 1. For more information on how to apply for this grant opportunity or the Dow Corning Donor Advised grant, call (989) 755-0545 or visit our website at www.saginawfoundation.org.

Is your company interested in partnering with the Saginaw Community Foundation through grantmaking or sponsorship? Call (989) 755-0545 for more details.

Working Together

G eoffrey Canada isn’t waiting on others to make changes in his

community, and he encour-aged an audience of 600 at Horizons Conference Center to do the same in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Canada was the keynote speaker at a community lun- cheon in March that focused on investing in the future of youth and universal success

for students. He challenged attendees to take control of their community by getting involved and putting stud- ents first. “The community is in our hands,” he said. “If we don’t do something, no one will.” The children’s advocate is nationally recognized for his pioneering work help- ing children and families in Harlem, N.Y.

“The community is in our hands. If we don’t do something, no one will.” - Geoffrey Canada

(continued on page 4 )

The Friends of Hoyt Park was awarded a grant from the Dow Corning Donor Advised Fund for the refurbishment of baseball/softball diamonds and fencing at Hoyt Park in Saginaw. Pictured is a group of students playing in a baseball game at Hoyt Park.

The Power of PartnershipRegional Community Foundations partner with

Dow Corning, Hemlock Semiconductor and Dow Chemical to impact community grantmaking

© 2008. The Saginaw News. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Geoffrey Canada speaks at the community luncheon.

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Community GROWTH

GEOFFREY CANADA

“Geoffrey Canada’s visit was key . . . letting us know we’re on the right track.”

- Renee Johnston

Volunteers and students of the Houghton-Jones Neighborhood Task Force will no longer have to haul buckets of water to hydrate their com-

munity gardens, thanks to a grant from the Saginaw Community Foundation. The organization received a $5000 grant from the Foundation to fund an irrigation system that will support its “All Around the Neighborhood: Great Kids, Great Promise” project. The leadership initia-tive, for youth ages 6-13 in Saginaw’s Houghton- Jones neighborhood, incorporates gardening concepts that teach students how to plant, manage, and sell their harvest at their neighborhood farmer’s market. Bakari McClendon says the installation of two wa-ter hydrants will help the organization water their crops regularly, something that was a challenge before the grant. “This grant will allow us to consistently water our gardens for maximum yield,” said McClendon, pres-ident of the Houghton-Jones Neighborhood Associa-tion.

“Before, we were watering 800 square feet of gardens by hand.” The Neighborhood Association plans to open their produce market Friday, July 22, and will run the operation every Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. until September 30. The group will continue their partnership with the Downtown Saginaw Farmer’s Market by reselling locally grown produce and anticipates adding more vendors to participate in the effort, something new for the group. “This year we want to invite more people to the party. We plan on selling space to other vendors and adding live entertainment to the mix for a des-tination attraction,” McClendon said. “It’s all about working together and empowering our residents to have access to healthy food.” The Houghton-Jones Neighborhood Task Force is one of twelve organizations that received $36,502.50 in grants from the Community Foundation in the last quarter of 2010. Grant application deadlines for the remainder of 2011 are May 1, August 1 , and November 1. Applications are available online at www.saginawfoundation.org.

(continued from page 3 )

Houghton-Jones Task Force receives grant from SCF

for irrigation system Houghton-Jones Neighborhood Farmer’s Market stand

Renee Johnston and Cherrie Benchley of UWSC shake hands with Geoffrey

Canada at the community luncheon.

The Saginaw Community Foun- dation and United Way of Saginaw County hosted the event hoping to build momentum towards the development of a similar effort modeled after the Harlem Chil-dren’s Zone in Saginaw County. “A group of community mem- bers applied for federal dollars to replicate the Zone (without a char-ter school) in Saginaw County, and even though our request was de-nied, we scored high enough to put us in the position to receive private funding,” said Renee John-ston, president and CEO of the Saginaw Community Foundation.

“Geoffrey Canada’s visit was key in helping us strengthen our grant application and letting us know we‘re on the right track.” Since the event, organizers have partnered with students from Saginaw Valley State University who are conducting focus group discussions in prospective neigh- borhoods in Saginaw. The feed-back will help leaders identify the priority needs in those neighbor-hoods to align existing resources or identify new programs to meet community needs.

Friends Circle

Andrews Hooper & Pavlik, PLCBierlein Companies

Chemical Bank Consumers Energy

Covenant HealthCare The Dow Chemical Co.

Dow Corning Corporation Fabiano Brothers, Inc.

Hausbeck Pickle Co. Hemlock Semiconductor Group

The Iles Group at Merrill LynchPrincing & Ewend

The Public School Superintendents of Saginaw CountyRehmann

Robert E. Stark & Martin H. Stark Foundation FundStevens Worldwide Van Lines

TBF GraphicsTri-Star Trust Bank

Burt Watson Chevrolet-Pontiac, Inc. Wolgast Corporation

Saginaw Community Foundation StaffFront (left to right): Reneé S. Johnston, AshLee Hansinger, LeeAnn Martuch;Middle: Christine Benecke, Brian Jackson, Becky Gerzseny; Back: Kendra Kempf, Tamar Chipp.

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In 2006, the Saginaw Community Foundation became a nationally accredited community foundation by passing National Standards set by Community Foundations of America.

Saginaw Community Foundation StaffFront (left to right): Reneé S. Johnston, AshLee Hansinger, LeeAnn Martuch;Middle: Christine Benecke, Brian Jackson, Becky Gerzseny; Back: Kendra Kempf, Tamar Chipp.

CORNERSTONE

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For more information on event times and locations, visit our website at www.saginawfoundation.org.

100 South Jefferson, Suite 201 Saginaw, MI 48607